Can I find out more about my great uncle’s Albert Frederick Mayne WW1 service?

[Gardenshed]

Hello

I would like to know more about my great uncle’s service in WW1.

Albert Frederick Mayne was born in South Shields in 1891 and died there in 1927. He has an uncle of the same name who also served, born 1870, and a younger cousin also with the same name who died in WW2.

This particular Albert was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery ( no. 81010) and his medal index card says his first theatre of war was Egypt 1 July 1915. The index card says (I think) he was entitled to the Victory, British and 15 Star medals.

Could anyone help me with more information about his service? He seems to have had a sad life, as although he was 23 when he enlisted, he was already a widower as his young wife had died from TB and his two babies also died. He did not remarry after WW1.  I would like to gather more information so he can be remembered.

Thank you for any help.

[ShaunJ]

His service record seems not to have survived. I could only find a "Wounded and Sick" report which lists him as serving with A/69 Battery in Mesopotamia, and suffering from dysentery in 2B General Hospital in Amara on 30 March 1918.

[Gardenshed]

Thank you Shaun.

[MaxD]

A small correction if I may. A/69 is A Battery 69 Brigade RFA.  The brigade went to Gallipoli via Egypt arriving Egypt early July 1915.  After Gallipoli they went to Mesopotamia via Egypt, arriving Basra 7/8 March 1916.  He was, as ShaunJ finds, in Mespotamia in March 1918, it seems he was there until the end of the war.

However, 69 Brigade was broken up in May 1916.   A Battery's move was, according to Longlongtrail, to 60 Brigade but that went to France so his subsequent movement must have been to one of the other brigades in the theatre. Difficult to determine without his record.

The war diary for 69 Brigade at Gallipoli is here:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4557454   and for the one month it existed in Mesopotamia is here:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/fd810d88c01a4362aa9febd58f02262b

The former diary is on Ancestry.


MaxD

[ShaunJ]

Max, looking at that wounded and sick report, the other RFA entries on it show the abbreviation Bde for Brigade: C/337 Bde, A/215 Bde etc. Only this one has "Bty" instead. Curious ?

[MaxD]

Just poor record keeping (my correction related not to your transcription but to the original).  The other two entries follow the correct convention of battery/brigade (both 337 and 215 Brigades were in Mesopotamia). Does the report have a date by the way - it should be between March and May 1916 although not impossible to be later if his docs hadn't been updated.

MaxD

[ShaunJ]

Does the report have a date by the way - it should be between March and May 1916

30 March 1918.

I have seen some sources suggesting that 69 Battery was part of 31 Brigade at that time.

[ShaunJ]

http://www.314th.org/Nafziger-Collection-of-Orders-of-Battle/917BEMA.pdf

Distribution of Mesopotamia Expeditionary Corps - 27 May 1917

See page 4 under "Other Artillery" for a mention of A/69th Battery.

[ShaunJ]

In this Order of Battle (November 1917),  A/69th (Howitzer) Battery is at the top of page 6 - part of 30 Brigade RFA

http://www.314th.org/Nafziger-Collection-of-Orders-of-Battle/917BKMA.pdf